Forever
by R.A.Eng
Summary: Nessie is nine years old and han't stopped aging. She concludes that she probably is not immortal. Jake wants to stop phasing to enjoy life with her but Carlisle say it will be nearly impossible. Key word: nearly.


Bella, Edward and Nessie stood on their porch, looking out into the forest for Jake's arrival. Bella and Edward could hear, sense and even catch glimpses of Jacob's russet fur as he darted left and right through the trees. Nessie, on the other hand, was a half-vampire-half-human so her senses were sharper than the regular human, but not as sharp as her parents'. She couldn't quite hear or see Jacob coming, but she knew he was coming and she was as excited as ever. As soon as Jacob reached the edge of the forest, Nessie hopped down the three steps and sprinted as fast as her physically-four-year-old body could take her to meet Jacob in the middle.

Jacob slowed to a stop as Nessie flung herself in the air to land around his furry neck.

"Jake!" Nessie cried. She hugged him tightly while her legs dangled a meter above the grass. Jacob licked her with his rough tongue as a reply to her greeting. He lowered himself so that Nessie could stand on the ground again.

Nessie stroked his soft fur and pressed her palm to his cheek to send him a thought, and immediately Jacob lay down on the grass and waited for Nessie to climb up. Nessie awkwardly hoisted herself up, using Jacob's head as support and accidentally flattening his ears.

"Don't pull his ears, sweetie!" Bella called from the porch.

"Okay, Mommy." Nessie called back.

Nessie was maturing at a fast pace. Her thoughts were so developed; she was smarter than most adults, but she was still just a child and she still acted like one some of the time. As most four-year-olds, she could not resist his soft fur and wanted a ride. Once she settled herself on his back, she patted his head. "'Kay, Jakey."

Jacob took his cue and began to run. It was more of a light jog for him, but he didn't want to risk her falling off if he went any faster. 

"Hi, Ness," Jacob said after he phased. He buttoned up his shirt as he walked towards her to the couch. He plopped himself down in the corner seat beside Nessie. She crawled into his lap and faced the TV. "So, what're we watching?"

Nessie touched his cheek again.

"Ahhh, Wizards of Waverly Place. Good choice." Jake said, looking at her. Nessie gave him a huge smile. "You know, I really like that Mason guy. He's pretty awesome, in my opinion."

"That's only 'cause he's a werewolf like you!" Nessie said. Jake shrugged his shoulders.

Soon, the closing credits scrolled across the screen. Nessie clicked the TV off. "Wow," said Jacob. "So, that Mason character used to date Juliette…Alex's boyfriend used to date Justin's girlfriend. I did _not_ see that one coming."

When Nessie didn't say anything for a while, Jacob turned her around to face him. "What are you thinking?" he asked her.

"Jacob," Nessie began, in all seriousness. "Will you live forever like Mason?"

"Oh." Once again, Jacob didn't see that coming. "Um, yeah, I guess so. I mean, as long as I keep phasing, then I will stay this way forever. Why?"

"I was just wondering."

Jacob nodded and they sat together in silence for a few minutes before Nessie reached up to touch his cheek. A large grin slowly spread across Jacob's face. "Aww, Nessie. I'm glad, too, that you will live forever. But you know, even if you wouldn't stop aging, that wouldn't change how much I love you. You think we'd be like Juliette and Mason? Haha." He chuckled. "Oh, you're right; we would be much better than Juliette and Mason. And _of course _I want to spend forever with you. I promise we will be together forever." Jacob kissed her forehead. Nessie giggled and soon fell asleep against his warm chest. 

Jacob climbed through Nessie's bedroom window. He was so swift and quiet that Nessie, who was lying on her side facing away from the window, hadn't even noticed. Suddenly there was a loud thump on the ceiling, or in Jacob's case, the floor, followed by Bella hissing "_Edward!_"

Jacob froze in his position, waiting to hear what Edward would say next. There really was no reason to freeze and act like he was not there for Edward could certainly hear his thoughts.

"_What?_" Edward whispered back. Nessie still hadn't stirred. Her ears weren't sensitive enough to catch any of her parent's conversation like Jacob could. "_Excuse me if I don't want him in my daughter's _room! _What? And yes, I am perfectly aware that he is capable of hearing us._"

A few moments go by without Bella of Edward saying anything. All Bella had to do was give him that look and he would usually give in. "_Fine._" Edward gave in. Jacob took that as his cue. "Hi, Nessie," he said.

Nessie rolled onto her back to face him. "Jake, you scared me again!"

"Sorry. Want me to throw a stone at your window before I come in?" he joked. Nessie gave a weak smile and patted her bed, motioning for Jacob to come. Jacob lay down on her bed with his hands laced together behind his head as a pillow. Nessie snuggled closer to her personal heater. "So, I was thinking… There's this event at my school. It's the Winter Formal or something. It's three weeks from now. Do you want to go with me?" Jacob asked.

Nessie was silent for what seemed like ten minutes. Jacob was beginning to feel very nervous that she didn't give him an answer. He carefully peeked over at Nessie who had tears trickling down her cheeks. "Nessie, what's the matter?" From beneath Nessie's room Jacob heard a loud crunch which he assumed was Edward smashing his computer to refrain from barging up and wringing his neck.

"I look like I'm thirty, Jake."

Jacob looked at her for a long moment, trying to register what she said. "That's okay. I look like I'm twenty-seven." Jacob said reassuringly. "Together we won't look strange or anything, if that's what you're worried about."

"I'm nine years old. I should have stopped aging at seven! I look like I aged two years since last week. What if I don't stop aging?" she sobbed.

"Hey, don't cry, Nessie." Jacob dried her tears and wrapped her in a big hug. "I'll love you no matter what. Besides, I think you are the most beautiful you have ever been."

Between sobs, Nessie finally got out, "But if I keep aging, that means I'm not going to be immortal." Her voice got so quiet that Edward would not have heard if it weren't for his mind reading ability.

Less than a second after Nessie finished her sentence, Jacob said had decided, "I'll quit phasing." His mind was made up. "So we can grow old together."

Nessie shook her head. "No, you can't do that."

"Why not?" Jacob asked.

"Because. You are the alpha. You can't leave your pack."

"Yes I can. And-"

"Besides, you love being in your wolf form. Running is your freedom. I can't take that away from you. I can't let you sacrifice that."

"But I love_ you_ much more than I love running." Jacob insisted. "I would give up anything for you." It was no lie. Jacob would do anything to make Nessie happy. "I would trade a life of immortality without you for a life where we could grow old together. Even if that life was only a day, it would still be worth it." Nessie couldn't help but smile. She fell asleep in his warm arms and felt a tiny bit better.

"So you're going to stop phasing, eh?" Emmett said. Jacob nodded his head.

Carlisle walked into the living room with a clipboard in his hands and a stethoscope around his neck.

"So the tests are coming along. We have not discovered why Nessie continues to age, though. We are not sure how long you will have to stop phasing before you will resume aging, Jacob. But we estimate it could take years, perhaps more than five even. The shape-shifting gene is very strong in your DNA; our best guess is because you are related to the great Ephraim Black who had great powers. The prominent shape-shifting gene may make it hard to stop."

"Five years?" exclaimed Nessie. "I'll be a grandmother by then!"

"Well, we do believe that your growth will slow down to a regular rate, if it does not stop completely," Carlisle said. "There's one other complication, though." There was no need for Carlisle to explain. They all knew it. They all tensed, to an extent that they were completely motionless- aside from Nessie and Jacob who could not freeze their bodies as well as the others.

"Just being near any vampire- or half vampire, even- will cause your phasing gene to stay active… Being away from each other long enough for your phasing to become dormant will be immensely difficult for the both of you. Other sources say that it can actually become painful, the longer the imprint and imprintee is separated."

"I _will _find a way to stop. I am the descendant of Ephraim Black. If anyone can do it, it's me." Jacob said confidently. Nessie hugged Jacob tighter. "I promise," Jacob whispered to Nessie, though the others definitely heard.

Jacob held her in his arms for a moment, while he took in her scent. Her scent was a strange mix of half-human-half-vampire. He never thought it would be possible anything vampire related could smell so nice. Jacob remembered that the rest of the Cullens were standing there watching them. He let go of Nessie, though she still held her arms around him.

Jacob had no idea how he would stop phasing completely, but he was sure he would find a way. After all, he couldn't break a promise to his imprint. 

Jacob and Nessie lay on her bed in silence, just holding each other, with the exception of Nessie occasionally relaying her thoughts to Jacob by accident. She didn't want him to stop shape-shifting. She showed him a picture of him running through the forest with an aged Nessie on his back. _And you always do what your imprint wants, right?_ Nessie argued.

Jacob rolled his eyes. "Yes, Nessie. But I know you want us to be together. And I do too. Forever."

_But _I _might not have forever._

"Sweetheart, don't worry. Carlisle said that you would probably stop eventually. When you do, I'll start phasing again." He kissed her forehead and that was the end of their conversation.

It was just past twelve-thirty in the morning when Nessie had finally fallen asleep. Jacob looked at her, taking in her beauty. Her golden-reddish hair was tied into a neat fish-tail braid. Her cheeks were slightly pinker than usual. Her skin was soft and flawless in the moonlight. She was warm, but only because she had been so close to Jacob.

Hours ticked by and Jacob found himself still awake. He carefully crept out of Nessie's bed and headed down the stairs into the living room to find Bella and Edward "casually" reading newspaper. Jacob figured Edward had been listening to his thoughts again and thought they might get into a non-suspicious cover pose.

"Ahh, Jacob. What brings you here at this time of the hour?" asked Edward, as he lowered his newspaper. Jacob rolled his eyes at Edward's mocking charade. _Must have been listening to my thoughts about me thinking he was listening to my thoughts, _thought Jacob.

"Yes, I was listening." Edward smiled. Jacob and Edward had come a long way in the past nine years. Ten years ago, they could barely tolerate each other. Today, they were almost pals. It was all thanks to Nessie. Edward loved to see his daughter happy, and if Jacob made her happy, well, Edward was willing to like Jacob if Nessie did.

Jacob decided he needed some fresh air. "Good idea, Jacob," Edward commented. Jacob gave Edward a mock-annoyed look. Edward raised his hands in surrender. "Sorry, you're right. I'll do my best to stay out of your mind." Edward tilted his head toward Bella. Bella put down her newspaper as on cue. Jacob plopped down in the seat in front of hers.

"Jake, I know that you are capable of controlling your phasing," said Bella. "Everyone says it will be impossible, but I know you, Jake. And I know that you love my daughter enough to find a way." Jacob gave a half smile. "I was thinking a little training might help you learn to control phasing."

Jacob wasn't sure he understood what she meant by "control". _Being able to phase wasn't exactly something that could be learned or taught to stop. _

"Oh, but it just might be," Edward said after hearing Jacob's thoughts.

"I didn't know I had any type of power," Bella said. "It was a matter of practicing before I actually got good at it. I think we can do the same for you."

Jacob looked at both of them for a long moment. He nodded and figured he had nothing to lose. "Great!" Bella exclaimed. "We'll start tomorrow. Well, technically _today _since it's three a.m."

Jacob stepped out of the house and took a walk through the forest to relax himself. _I sure am going to miss this._ Jacob thought. When he first began to phase, he couldn't see any perks. Now, he decided he would miss being able to phase. He would miss having exceptional senses. Going for walks through the forest wouldn't be as interesting when he couldn't see all the extra things that regular eyes couldn't see. He would miss being able to hear Emmett and Jasper planning a surprise attack on him. Nessie was right; he would miss the freedom he had when he was a wolf running through the forest. But the only thing he would miss more is being able to grow old with Nessie.

Jacob and Nessie spent the next three months being together, more than usual. Most of the time they didn't say any words, including Nessie's throught pictures. They usually sat on Nessie's bed together, Nessie in his arms. Occasionally a tear would slip from her warm brown eyes. Jacob would brush it away and hold her tighter. They could spend hours like that without saying a single word. Rarely did anyone in the Cullen's house speak.

Nessie was aging faster than ever. She looked like she was sixty years old. Jacob still looked like he was twenty-seven. Nessie was starting to lose hope for a life where she could live happily with Jacob. In public, Jacob often got comments from elderly strangers saying how he was such a nice grandson for taking his grandmother out for the day.

By the next month, Nessie had barely aged. Carlisle predicted that she would reach her peak and from then on, she would age much slower than the average human. Nessie decided that she could live with it; that she would slowly age and Jacob would stay the same. She figured it was the best deal she would get.

Jacob kept training every single day with Bella. They had tried just about everything. Mentally and physically, she pushed him every day. Every night he would go home exhausted. The thought of losing his chance to have as normal a life as he could with a half vampire who aged very oddly was his motivation. They got so desperate they even tried to bring his body temperature down to a normal degree, by ordering truckloads of ice. By the end of the day, Jacob was actually cold. They thought that was a good sign.

It was six more months before Jacob had noticed any differences with his body. It was the night had had spent over at the Cullen's house. He had fallen asleep on the couch and woke up with a start. Esme, who was sitting in the loveseat reading her book, put her book down and asked, "What's wrong, Jacob?" before he could even sit up.

"Uh, just really cold," Jacob said, still half asleep.

"I'll just go and get you a blanket, then, Jac- you're cold? Carlisle! Carlisle! Come down!" Carlisle was down in less than a second. "Jacob is _cold_. Do you think- could he be- is it possible?" The rest of the Cullen's came down in a flash, followed by Nessie who came down just a moment later.

Carlisle felt Jacob's skin. It was much cooler than before. Jacob shuddered at his icy touch. That night, they ran all sorts of tests with Jacob. They asked him what he heard, saw, smelled, tasted, and felt. He answered crickets, nothing (when the lights were turned out), pizza (from his dinner, and not the smell of vampires), just an average chicken noddle soup, and a regular pillow. Jacob no longer had his sensitive eyes, ears, nose, tongue, or fingertips.

It was time for the last test. "Jacob," Carlisle said slowly and cautiously, "I want you to phase."

Jacob wasn't about to strip his clothes off in front of all the Cullens, so he decided he would rather rip his clothes. As much as he tried, he couldn't phase.

Jacob began to age again, as if nothing had happened. Nessie was aging very slowly now. Carlisle estimated that Jacob would catch up to Nessie by the time they both look ninety.

_Fifty five years later_

Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, Alice, Bella, and Edward all looked exactly the same. Nessie and Jacob looked more or less the same age now. Carlisle had been studying both of them, recording their growth rate. Carlisle had concluded that Nessie hadn't aged in the last five years.

Another five years goes by, and Nessie hasn't changed. Jacob, though, grows older with every year.

Nessie and Jacob sat on the couch, watching t.v. like old times. Flipping through the channels, they stop on the family channel. Old re-runs were playing. Jacob and Nessie sat close together, with a blanket wrapped around Jacob so he doesn't touch her cold skin. Nessie tried to remember what his warm skin felt like against hers.

Wizards of Waverly Place came on. "Do you miss being able to phase?" Nessie asked quietly. Jacob opened his resting eyes. Jacob thought about it for a minute. "Not really."

"But you _do_, at least a tiny bit." Nessie said as a statement. Jacob shrugged his shoulders and gave a slight nod. "Carlisle says that I might be immortal. He is almost certain that I am immortal," said Nessie, hinting something to Jacob. He caught on and opened his eyes again.

"Nessie, I'm too old to try to phase again."

Nessie's hopeful face turned into a frown. "I'm sorry you gave up phasing for me."

"I'm not sorry. Not at all," said Jacob, resting his eyes again. "Like I said before; I'd trade an immortal life without you for a life where I could age with you and have experiences."

Desperately trying to find a way to change his mind, Nessie said, "But you wasted most of your life catching up to my age. And you never got to have all the experiences. That winter formal thing you were talking about! We never went…" She gave him a puppy dog face.

Jacob chuckled. "I'll take you tomorrow. There will be fancy table cloths, loud music – or should I say _racket_ now that I'm senior – and we'll all get dressed up. Besides, having you right here beside me is all that I could ever wish for."

"But I can't imagine living without you…" her voice was soft and quiet. Jacob lowered his blanket just enough to reach Nessie's cold hand. He laced his fingers between hers.

On t.v. it was the episode where Justin and Alex find out that Mason and Juliette used to date. That must have sparked a thought. She was really desperate now. "Do you remember you promised me that we would be together forever?" Tears were collecting in her eyes.

"My turn to ask you a question. Do you still have that stuffed wolf that I gave you?"

Nessie remembered her beat-up and well-loved stuffed animal. "Of course I do!" She had retired her stuffed animal from her bed when the real version of it began to share her bed.

Jacob nodded. "I may not have forever, but I will always be with you, one way or another." Jacob knew that no matter what, they could never be completely separated. Knowing that, he closed his eyes, slowly drifting to sleep with Nessie by his side.


End file.
